hamdard

dar rokhe eshgh negar taa be sefat mard shavi

peeshe sardaan manesheen kaz dameshaan sard shavee

dar rokhe eshgh bejoo cheeze degar joz soorat

gaah aanast ke hamraahe hamdard shavee

-rumi, excerpt from "divan-i shams"

(thank you farinaz)

canada

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JON!!

i've been wanting to use this short series of pictures forever :D

commemoration

today was the commemoration of the martyrdom of the Báb

lucia and i started the day at 6am helping luis to set up the sound equipment:





it was beautiful...

for nafeh

mornings cereal run

this morning i got to work and found that my cereal had been thrown away. i decided after much introspection and consultation to run to the corner store and pick up a fresh batch.

what came with my cereal :) you can't tell, but it made me happy

i work on a very historic and lovely street -
this angle has the Old Western Pilgrim House on the right,
and Khanoum's resting place on the left

**************

on a seperate, unrelated note,

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROYEE!!
you're an amazing, lovely and creative woman.


a song for you that might bring back memories:

(not the baby...the song :) )

waiting on luis

new post

Where are the poets, part II

in yet another reoccurring situation, i find myself sitting at my desk at 10pm. laundry is slowly revolving downstairs, keeping our new local rat company.

a rat that few have seen, but all are twitchy over. and it's strange being here at night, a few lights on and knowing or imagining that at any second a R.O.U.S. could come sauntering past my doorway.

well, that's a funny image anyway.

on my mind lately:
the findings and adventures of the upcoming months
yin and yang
"creating a new mind" by paul lample
conflict resolution and mediation
web design

today luis, ezra and sina came down to have lunch with me. we ordered our usual pizza from "mama pizza" down the corner on allenby road. we spent that last 20 min or so reading from the Kitab-i-Aqdas on wills and inheritance.

the process of convergence is an interesting one. whether it's between souls or ideas. one question at this point...how does dependence and independence converge? admittedly outright, this seems impossible for the very definition of the prefix "in-" means that it is "not" something.

independence is without dependence.

and yet we live in a world of dichotomies, contradictions, and in it's essence Reality is a concept that goes beyond our ability to comprehend. It goes beyond rational and reason, and in it's essence independence and dependence are the same thing.

but that sense of unity is something that often escapes us. and we are forced to huddle and protect those things we hold dear...whether our freedom or our comfort and neediness.

how do we converge these two things...how do we generate that singular concept of unity that transcends beyond these conceptions - but more importantly how would it manifest itself in the minutia of daily life and interactions?

can it?

nickname

i have a new nickname.

created in persian class: jafar

merci moallem, merci.

favorite song

somewhat interesting....though comically produced

late

sorry everyone for the lack of posts over the past couple of days.

i just have time for a tiny post today.

today i had the pleasure of visiting the van leer institute. unfortunately, these are the only shots i got. i'll write more on it later.

yes, he has a huge machine gun slung over his shoulder

panoramic portrait of lucia's birthday

so yesterday was lulu's birthday. yeah!!!!!!

we celebrated by going out to a dinner and a movie with a group of her closest. we had at first thought to go to the theatre and get the VIP experience. this is where you pay more, yes, but you also get (what we thought was) reclining leather seats, a private theatre, sushi, unlimited snacks and bottled drinks. when we got there we realized it was basically like cheese, crackers and unlimited alcohol....sooooo...we changed the plans.

we went to this new burger place in the mall, and then went to see hancock.

the bus ride over

at the restaurant

i like this one cause somehow i captured nathan talking to himself...

lucia in a time warp

luis, i call this one "a post-modern expression of preconceived notions of singularity and existential leanings or cell movement"

this morning's drive down the mountain

yes...i was looking at the road.

but i love driving here. the French news playing in the background also adds a hint of sophistication don't you think?

a nights frivolity

kent and aaron at their best...

(khat...jaht khali)

World Water Week, Day Two

Since 1991, World Water Week at the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) has been the leading global forum for discussion of water issues by scientists, government officials, business and civil society.

World Water Week 2008 takes place from 17-25 August under a theme of Progress and Prospects on Water: For a Clean and Healthy World.

*******

Behind world food crisis is a world water crisis

18 Aug 2008
WWF Director General James Leape will tell the opening session of World Water Week in Stockholm that a world water crisis is a key factor behind current global anxieties over faltering food supplies and rising food costs.

"Behind the world food crisis is a global freshwater crisis, expected to rapidly worsen as climate change impacts intensify," Mr Leape said. "Irrigation-fed agriculture provides 45 per cent of the world’s food supplies, and without it, we could not feed our planet's population of six billion people."...

israeli water pollution science

reminded of royee

pogo, alice

one

1 - it's a weird feeling to be at work and the noise level to be so low that i can actually here myself think. it will take some getting used to - before, when the noise volume was so overpowering, i had to force myself to concentrate, focus harder and train my mind to block out all other ambient noises...take take in the relevant ones, and disregard the rest.

now, it's just me...funny how things turn out. i miss the noise.


the design of things

wet rocks
swift streams
blue bottle of honey lemon ginseng
dancing with Chopin
it is easy to forget
but harder to loose the
enterprise of dreams

overcast valleys
fields of lilies
crystal glasses of chai
feeling with Mahler
it is nice to sit in silence
but better still to be lost in the
noise of the world

9.25.06, gt

tip your hat

Al's back....big smiles all around

:D
*************************

I believe in God,
only I spell it Nature.
— Frank Lloyd Wright

Prologue

A small whirlwind of dust moved quietly down the deserted street. It whipped a scrap of paper against a sleeping cat, frightening it out of the doorway into the house. Then all was motionless silence. Suddenly a young child hurried around the corner and raced down the empty street. His bare feet kicked up little puffs from the hot earth. "He's coming!" he cried out. "They're bringing him this way!" People streamed from their houses with the panic of ants whose hill has been struck by a careless foot. The street was alive with thrilled and expectant faces. Their excitement increased as they heard the angry shouts of the approaching mob. A river of men, women and children flowed noisily around the corner. The young man they were following was overwhelmed by their insults. The mob cried out with delight. They knew he would not escape them. He was a captive. His guards pulled him along in front of the crowd by a long rope tied to an iron collar which was fastened about his neck. He was being taken to the authorities so that his death warrant might be signed. When he faltered in his steps, the guards helped him on his feet by jerking savagely on the rope or by planting a well-aimed kick. Occasionally someone would dart out of the crowd, break 2 through the guards and strike the young man with a fist or a stick. Cheers of pleasure and encouragement accompanied each attacker. When a stone or a piece of refuse hurled from the mob struck the young captive in the face, both the guards and the crowd would burst into laughter.[F1] "Rescue yourself, O great hero!" one of the pursuers called mockingly. "Break asunder your bonds! Produce for us a miracle!" Then he spat in derision at the silent figure. The young man was returned to the barracks square, then a short time later was led to his place of execution. It was high noon in the public square of a sun-baked city. The blistering summer sun flashed from the barrels of the raised muskets. The guns were pointed at the young man's breast. The soldiers awaited the command to fire and take his life. Great crowds were still pouring into the public square. Thousands swarmed along the adjoining rooftops overlooking the scene of death. They were all hungry for one last look at this strange young man who had so troubled their country. He was either good or evil, they were not sure which. He seemed so young to die, barely thirty. Now that the end had come, this victim of all their hatred did not seem dangerous at all. He appeared helpless and gentle, yet confident and handsome. There was a look of contentment, even of eagerness, on his face as he gazed calmly into the hostile barrels of seven hundred and fifty cocked rifles.

(William Sears, Release the Sun, p. iii)

LHC

(cheers luis)

sigma xi podcast

"we need water managers who can integrate the science and policy to teach us how to manage our water more sustainably and more effectively..." - dr. peter glick

beach

here are some photos taken today with my phone camera...they aren't flickr worthy i think, but they're still pretty cool. :)

today

i just got a new flat mate.

i met him briefly this morning as i was stepping out of the bathroom after washing my hands. it was an awkward first shake...my hand was still had water on it, and he was too sleepy to accurately form any sort of greeting.

anyway, awkward is funny...

tonight

yesterday, today, tonight...tomorrow. the reality of fleetingness becomes apparent sometimes more than others. like right now.

and yet, all those things we define as past, present and future are just words. that's all they are. in the Writings, what is a Day? what are the Seasons of Man's life?

His Holiness the Báb instructs us to act neither hopeful of heaven nor fearful of hell...the ultimate sense of detachment.

is the not center of the world the perfect place to feel powerful...and then powerless....and then powerful again? to find our own selves mirroring the paths of ascent and descent that the universe as a whole is continually cycling through...

we should always act eternally...

Who among us has desired the Sea?
Do we simply stand upon Its Shore,
Where the soft sands of time
Warm the feet?

Are we not all souls seeking escape?
Even the sand traps us.
No solace is there
Save in the Ocean of Mercy.

Have we not yet passed through Seven Valleys?
To transcend time and space?
When may the soul
Secure its peace?

Do the tears of love sear our Eyes?
Will the Flames’ light subside?
Quench it, O Son of Love,
In the Sea of Grace.

Will the pain of loss ever end?
It scrapes and stabs at my heart.
Heal it, O Lord, in forgiveness
That I may be, eternal.

-gt

uncanny

a funny little thing noticed by shaadi. :P

warning

luis, ezra and i are getting to be ballers at badminton.

check it.

very cool

4 inch plastic balls save los angeles

Copy.

Silver Lake Reservoir has high level of Bromate [disinfection by-product that forms when bromide, chlorine, and sunlight are at the same party]. What should I do?

Repeat. Please tell me you did not say Bromate, over.

Yes. High levels of Bromate. Request assistance immediately.

For the love of all that is good. We need to escort the sunlight from this party, although, it could take up to 3 years and up to $100 million dollars to build a cover over this reservoir. There has to be another solution that is quick and cheaper.

Sir, I have an idea. Let's add plastic black balls to stop the sunlight.

I am sorry. Did I hear you correctly? We are going to add plastic black balls to the reservoir.

Yes.



LADWP is currently adding over 300,000 4" high-density polyethylene vapor control balls to the 14 acre reservoir in 2 to 3 truckloads per week. They are halfway done in filling up the needed 6 million ball for the project completion. The project cost is $2 million. The cost per ball is .34 cents.

Happy Birthday!

you came into our family close
and with a flash of greene and calm
stayed the course within your love
and have sealed yourself as alicia's balm.

i'm very glad your here with us
all underneath the same night's sky
to tell us about quantum physics
and other theorums not seen with eyes.

happy birthday to you and many returns
you're smart and tall and lovely to see
such a beautiful soul and spiritual being
you're such a role model for the other brian and me

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIAN!!!

love. me.

random

fun game night yesterday eve (hosted by lucia)
web design class is coming along swimmingly
badminton tonight


"i love toast" ~ they can't all be winners (scrubs)

a gentlemen's game (tips 1 & 2)

1) Badminton is... 80% Looks (As in style and technique) 10% Racket and 10% Strength. It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, it's how you look playing the game.

2) When you look at another badminton player, the shorter his or her shorts are means the better he or she is. Watch out for guys in Speedos.

House of Light

Mahler

The Gift

I wanted to thank the mockingbird for the vigor of his song.
Every day he sang from the rim of the field,
while I picked blueberries or just idled in the sun.
Every day he came fluttering by to show me, and why not,
the white blossoms in his wings.
So one day I went there with a machine,
and played some songs of Mahler.
The mockingbird stopped singing,
he came close and seemed to listen.
Now when I go to the field,
a little Mahler spills through the sputters of his song.
How happy I am, lounging in the light,
listening as the music floats by!
And I give thanks also for my mind,
that thought of giving a gift.
And mostly I'm grateful that I take this world so seriously.

- Mary Oliver

peacock

song of the day

steps...so many steps

step 1 - sleep in till 8am. go to lucia's for breakfast and relaxation.

step 2 - leave lucia's, and enact romeo and julieete with luis from his window over looking hillel stairs (he was juliette)

step 3 - catch a sherut up to the mercaaz

step 4 - go to gregs, slurp (slurp mind you) a yummy irish cream coffee and start reading "A Traveler's Narrative"

step 5 - order a small lunch

step 6 - read all 95 pages of "A Traveler's Narrative! ok, it may have only been 95 pages, but is written in such high english. khat, leila and i had started to read it a few months back...it was so hard to understand what Abdu'l-Baha was meaning that we took a pause (permanently). but i decided to pick it back up. i could actually feel my brain stretching painfully as i concentrated on comprehending everything and read constantly for 4 hours.

step 7 - at around 2 leave gregs and go out for a photo shoot. wander aimlessly...just walk.

step 8 - realize you've gone too far to turn back and decide to start walking down - and so you amble down curvey neighborhood streets somewhere you've never been before.

step 9 - realize you are reeeally lost, but decide you like not knowing where you are. adventure kicks in.

step 10 - walk out to an opening between houses and you find yourself looking down a moutain into a valley you've never seen in your life. you find that all the other streets head further on down south so you decide the best course of action is climb on down through brush and rock.

step 11 -

step 12 - find cool couch
step 13 - keep walking

step 14 - ...keep walking. when i finally got down, i just kept walking. i wasn't sure how far i had to go still, but i felt good. i was setting a good pace and seeing parts of outer haifa i hadn't seen up close.

step 15 - jump ahead. you've now been walking for 4 hours. as someone great has said "i was over it". i was so tired, and i just wanted to get home.

step 16 - finally on allenby and then iran street. thinking singularly at this point. must have water. must post.

my pictures better turn out amazing...

map:

opening

thought

i've realized that israelis operate within a strange dynamic of intense dramaticism and severe stoicism...you never know what you're going to get.

Baha'i Perspectives

Where are the poets, part I

german r&b

xavier naidoo



(props to lucia)

ummmm....

for the past few hours i've been periodically refreshing the page of the LHC countdown to see where we are at (in terms of the destruction of the world). the page will not open. this either means that 1)there is a simple technical problem, 2) this is a scare tactic, or 3)black holes are already starting to appear and are strategically eliminating those things that give us information concerning their future development.

i'm all for number 3.

Lucky

"...he's musically very talented" - HE

crab colonies

had crazy dreams last night about a cluster of crabs (3 males, 2 females) who left the colony to form their own civilization. it was weird. they talked, thought, had personalities, didn't believe in marriage, and wanted to create a utopian, amish like world for their future, out of wed-lock, brood.

i woke up slightly bemused...though deeply disturbed.

Solzhenitsyn

i read his book one day in the life of ivan denisovich about 7 years ago. i remember being enthralled.

LHC....get ready to rumble!!

2 days till activation...

in the mean time, watch ezra and luis dance.

BBC News

Britain seen from the skies above

NASA Spacecraft Analyzing Martian Soil Data

WASHINGTON -- Scientists are analyzing results from soil samples delivered several weeks ago to science instruments on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander to understand the landing site's soil chemistry and mineralogy.

Within the last month, two samples have been analyzed by the Wet Chemistry Lab of the spacecraft's Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer, or MECA, suggesting one of the soil constituents may be perchlorate, a highly oxidizing substance. The Phoenix team has been waiting for complementary results from the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA, which also is capable of detecting perchlorate. TEGA is a series of ovens and analyzers that "sniff" vapors released from substances in a sample.

NASA will hold a media teleconference on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 2 p.m. EDT, to discuss these recent science activities. Participants will be introduced at the start of the briefing. To participate in the teleconference, reporters should contact Steve Cole on 202-358-0918 for dial-in and passcode information...(read more)

radioactive egghead

(thanks luis for the capture)

monotone decaffeination

every single morning, EVERY single morning, our secretary comes in at 8:30. At exactly, exactly, 8:40 every morning she asks if she can be excused to go down and get coffee.

it goes something like this.

8:30 - she enters her office next to mine.
8:35 - typing and rustling of newspaper heard from her office
8:37 - usually a groan...or yawn expelled into the otherwise calm atmosphere of the building
8:40 - she ambles in to my office, coffee mug already in hand; wears a long, tired expression; a slight smile with her eyes closed as if to say "i wish i was somewhere else". and then it comes. "phew i'm tired, i need LOTS of coffee today. is it ok if i go down and get some? i'll forward the phones to *name*."
8:41 - i reply with a sympathetic look, and then cock my head in an empathetic way as i reply nonverbally "oh girl, don't i know!"... "sure", i say, "that's fine".
8:42 - she exits stage left, and i proceed to bang my head on my desk. i've tried to change this pattern honestly! but she's been doing this for 8 years...

If you have ANY suggestions, let me know :)

waaaaaalll-eeee

saw wall-e last night with luis, lucia and sina. amazing...highly recommend it.

God Help Us All!

a story of three

luis: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/02/asia/japan.php

• TOKYO: A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine may have leaked a small amount of radiation as it stopped by Japan in the spring and was then deployed throughout the Pacific Ocean, the Japanese government said Saturday...

ezra: we don't let american subs into nz....

geo: we wouldn't want to go there even if we could...

ezra: you can come visit if you want. just don't bring your submarines please.

geo: can i bring the capsule of radiation i take with me everywhere?

ezra: you'll have to check with luis.

luis: you mean your cellphone right?!!

geo: :D

a thief in the night

equation for a relaxing afternoon:

cafe + book + computer + camera + johnny cash renditions playing in the background + solitude

i slept in late this morning. last night was the open mic where i performed a song...i messed up a couple of times (forgot my own words :P ), but in the end it went fine. playing in front of people still gives me that same sense of butterflies in my stomach as i would always get right before the beginning of every soccer game.

but the open mic took forever. i think we didn't get out of there till close to 11, it started at 7. so i started walking home down the terraces quite late. i hadn't had dinner at that point (as i had gone up for the open mic early as a performer), and so i found myself at 11:30 at T1 standing between two choices. go down ben gurion to get something to eat, or go to my flat and see if something was there. there is construction going on in front of my place, which means the only way to get in is to enter through a chained gate that one has to unlock...it is quite a cumbersome process.

so i decided to just walk and see what opened up. i walked and walked, past hundreds of people packed into restaurants and cafes. some sitting with hazy eyes smoking a hookah, others in mass, scrunched around tables yelling at each other because of the extreme volume of all the other ambient noises of the night, and finally passed one of the last restaurants on the street where a group of people attempt to dance to incredibly raunchy music in a space set aside for them which is about the size of my bathroom.

i was not in the mood for any of this. i just kept walking.

i always feel drawn to the haifa port. i like ships, and i've always enjoyed a fun daydream where i sneak in through the gates, hop on one of the barges and sail off somewhere else for adventure. it's a fun idea.

so i ambled on crossing street after street until i came right up to the fence separating the road from the port's loading dock; and i just looked on.

at this piont, all the competing music from the eateries along ben gurion all canceled each other out, and the music from running machinery on the port strove against the whir of passing cars. i turned and saw the Shrine.

i tried to focus just on it, closing my ears to all the other sounds in the night, and slowly i was able to stand and just look and feel that constant pulse of power that emanates from this Institution.

tonight at the open mic nava read some poetry. it was quite good. it made me think about mine. the majority of it is not framed in a way to be read out loud to audiences. i want to write more like that.

it takes a lot of courage to perform in front of people...i'm glad i messed up those couple of times. it allows me to 1) have something to work on, in terms of playing in public and 2) practice patience and forgiveness with myself.

when i felt i was done meditating and looking up at the Shrine, i started home. i walked in a determined manner up the street, past the night's frivolity. i was thirsty, but i "withstood the onslaught of self and passion" and did NOT stop and get a coke (navid, khat be proud).

i got to the towering white fence between me and my bed, awkwardly unlocked it, stepped in, locked the gate and then climbed through the rubble and dirt strewn across the patio before the final steps to my door. i entered, adjusted the air conditioning, found it to be leaking and then felt the water which begun to seep into the carpet beneath one of our couches.

we had asked that this get fixed before. i felt like i was in that one scrubs episode. and finally, around 12:30 i entered my room, dropped my things to the floor, and fell into bed.

i slept in late this morning. i needed it.

****

ez and luis just joined me. :)

film

so, you know how excited i was to get film and start using my camera - i first went out with nathan to the mercaaz and walked around taking various shots, and then the next day i got some beautiful hots in akko.  

i went to get it all developed and put on a cd.  when it was ready to be picked up, i didn't find a slender envelope with a hard casing inside, but instead found a chunky envelope with two rolls of completely blank film.

i had put in the film wrong.  i learned my lesson, as nathan pointed out later...i should have just developed one at a time.

kholaseh, i had a friend, who also has a film camera, help me load it properly last night...and so now, bob's your uncle.

pictures are being taken; my new favorite hobby.

last night ezra and i shaved luis' head.  we've formed a club.  though i'm not sure how much we'll venture out over the next couple of days.  three white gringos walking around with shaved heads might not go over so well in israel.

but we'll see.